Pump driving mechanism



g- 1954 v c. F. ERIKSON I 2,687,186

PUMP DRIVING MECHANISM Filed May 5, 1951 INVENTOR. CHEL E EEIKSON BY aw Patented Aug. 24, 1954 PUMP DRIVING MECHANISM Carl F. Erikson, White Plains, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Nathan Manufacturing Corp., a corporation of New York Application May 5, 1951, Serial No. 224,756

7 Claims.

This invention relates to reciprocating drives such as employed in pumps, and is particularly applicable to multiple force-feed lubricators and the like where separate adjustment of the oil furnished to several different points is desirable. Such lubricators are useful in many places including trucks and other parts of railway equipment, automobiles, etc.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the kind referred to'which will be simple and rugged in construction and low in cost of manufacture, which will admit of easy servicing and which will provide for ready and individual adjustment of the fluid delivered to each of several points.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows a side View of a lubricator mechanism embodying my invention, partly in section.

Figure 2 shows a top view of the same lubricator with part of the cover removed and the mechanism within shown partly in section on the line 22 of Figure 1, some of the pump units being omitted for clarity.

In this embodiment of the invention the op erating mechanism is enclosed within a housing III which serves also as a reservoir for a supply of lubricant in which the mechanism is partly immersed. The oil is introduced through a port I l below which is supported a suitable screen l2 in accordance with known practice.

Within the housing is a detachable .frame 53, held in place by bolts or other suitable means and which carries a drive shaft 14 and a pump supporting rod l5. Shaft [4, at one end, extends through the side of the housing as shown in Figure 2, and has clamped thereon an arm H which is given a reciprocating motion by any convenient source of power. On railway or other vehicles the arm may be driven by a strap 16 attached to the car axle or truck frame, the housing being located on the car body, (or vice versa) in a manner known to the art. The arm 1-! may be adjusted for length as by using one of the alternative holes it for the clamping bolt l9, thereby varying the angular movement of shaft M for a given travel of the end of the arm I'l.

Within the housing, a drive plate 2% is attached to drive shaft it so as to extend laterally therefrom and vibrate up and down about the axis of shaft 1 4 as the latter oscillates. In the form here shown the plate is biased to its upper position by a tension spring 2| attached at one end to the frame l3 and at the other end to a spur 22 extending laterally from the shaft M. 23 is a stop secured to the shaft and adapted to bring it up against the frame to prevent excessive rotation of the shaft while making repairs or adjustments.

The pump units 25 are mounted for individual angular adjustment on the supporting rod I5. For purposes of clarity only three of these units are shown on the drawing but there may be any desired number. Each pump. unit comprises a body 26 suitably formed for mounting on rod l5, and provided with a bore 21 constituting the pump cylinder. The bottom of the bore is closed by an inlet valve 28, here shown as a ball valve of a known type. The outlet valve to is located in a bore 3i in body 26 extending laterally from the power part of the cylinder bore. This valve is preferably a spring pressed rubber disc valve which gives a somewhat better seal for such a location.

Piston 33 for the pump. cylinder-has an exten sion 3 passing through a guide opening 35 in a transverse section of guide arm 36 which rises from body 26 generally parallel to said extension 34. Compression spring 37 surrounding the lower part of extension 34 tends to keep the piston in its outer position and with the end of the extension adjacent to or in contact with, drive plate 29.

A flexible coupling link 39 leads from the outlet valve of each pump unit to one of a number of oil feed terminals 49 secured in one wall of the housing It. From these terminals oil ducts to the several points to be lubricated are provided in the usual manner. The flexible links permit the angular movements of the pump units which are necessary for the stroke adjustment hereinafter referred to.

A series of stroke adjusting screws 42 l2, one for each pump unit, is provided in the wall of the housing adjacent to the pump units. These screws extend through nuts secured to the wall of the housing, the outer ends being accessible for adjustment and the inner ends positioned to bear against the respective guide arms 0f the several pump units. Each pump unit is provided with a spring 44 attached at one end to a convenient point, as at 15, on the pump body and at the other end to a point on the frame l3, and serving to keep the guide arm 36 of its pump pressed against the adjusting screw 42 of that pump unit. A rod 46 extending across the frame l3 may conveniently be used for the point of attachment thereto of all the springs 44. A readily detachable cover 48 may be provided for the outer ends of adjusting screws 42-42 to protect them from damage, dirt or accidental misadjustment.

In operation, the driving lever moves angularly up and down under the influence of the strap It and the spring 21 as the result of the constant change in distance between the vehicle body and the unsprung part to which the strap may be attached; or as the result of the application of power from any other convenient source. This imparts a like motion to the driving plate 29, causing the several pump pistons to reciprocate in their respective cylinders under the combined efiect of the several springs 31' and the driving plate 20, thus forcing oil from the supply in the housing to the several points to be lubricated by way of the respective flexible couplings 39.

If observation shows that too much oil is being furnished to any particular point, the adjusting screw 12 for the pump supplying that point is turned to force the piston extension 34 -of that pump toward the axis of vibration of the plate 2 3 thus shortening the travel of the piston. If the oil supply is inadequate, the screw 412 is turned in the opposite direction. Thus by separate adjustment of the several screws 42, each point can be supplied with the correct lubrication.

In case the total supply is too much or too littie, the arm i'i may be adjusted on the shaft M to give a larger or smaller angular movement to the plate 26.

It will be understood that the particular construction shown is intended to be illustrative only and is not to be taken as limiting the invention except as indicated in the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A multiple forced feed lubricator having a housing acting as an oil reservoir and pump mechanism within said housing comprising, a detachable frame carrying an oscillating drive shaft and a cylinder supporting rod, a plurality of pump units mounted for independent angular adjustment on said rod, a vibrating drive plate attached to said drive shaft and extending laterally therefrom to overlie said pump units, an extension on each pump piston having operating relation with said plate, a resilient means individual to each pump unit tending to move its piston extension toward the edge of the plate remote from the drive shaft, and a stroke adjusting means for each pump unit for holding its piston extension at any selected distance from the drive shaft.

2. A lubricator in accordance with claim 1 having an operating mechanism for the drive shaft provided with means for adjusting the degree of oscillation of said shaft.

3. A lubricator in accordance with claim 1 in which each pump has a flexible link connecting it with a corresponding outlet on the housing body.

4. In a device of the kind described, a plurality of pump units each having a piston with a piston rod extending therefrom, said units being arranged side by side and supported for individual angular adjustment with respect to one another, a resilient means for each pump unit tending to hold the piston of its unit in its outer position, a single drive plate for said pump units supported for angular movement and overlying said pump pistons for moving them to their inner positions by making a contactiwith the several piston rods, and mechanism individual to each pump unit for varying at. will the distance between the axis of angular movement of said plate and.the. point at which it makes contact with the pumps piston rod.

5. A device in accordance with claim 4 wherein there is also means for varying the angular movement of said plate.

6. In a device of the kind described, a plurality of separate cylinders, pistons therein each having an exterior extension for moving it, valve mechanism for each cylinder for causing the transfer of fluid from one place to another upon reciprocation of the piston, a pivotally supported vibrating driving plate for driving said pistons having a surface making contact with said piston extensions, said contact points being movable toward or from the pivot of said plate to vary the stroke imparted to said extensions ac cording to the distance of each extension from said pivot, and means for independently varying the point of contact of each piston extension with said driving plate.

7. In a device of the kind described, a plurality of separate cylinders, pistons therein each having an exterior extension for moving it, valve mech-- anism for each cylinder for causing the transfer of fluid from one place to another upon reciprocation of the piston, a pi'v'otally supported vibrating driving plate for driving said pistons having a surface making contact with said piston extensions, said contact points being movable toward or from the pivot of said plate to vary the stroke imparted to said extensions according to the distance of each extension from said pivot, means for independently moving the, point of contact of each piston extension to a desired distance from said pivot, and driving means for said driving plate having an adjustable connection to the pivot of the driving plate whereby the extent of the vibration of said plate may be varied.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 947,449 Morris Jan, 25, 1910 1,677,992 Serpas July 24, 1928 1,937,019 Hamill NOV. 28, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 363,167 Great Britain Dec. 17, 1931 696,535 France Oct. 14, 1930 

